Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable from either Mag7 or Glee. I also don't own the ATF AU (I think MOG does). I am just borrowing to play! (Disclaimer good for all chapters…just in case I forget to post it!)
"Well," Nathan observed, "they are a bit of an odd couple."
"A bit clichéd if you ask me," replied Ezra. "What could be more Hollywood than the well-spoken, educated good girl and the dangerous but golden hearted bad boy?"
JD blinked at him before glancing over his shoulder at the pair.
"How'd you get that, Ez?" he asked.
The undercover agent shifted, and looked at his young teammate. Searching the curious hazel eyes, he realized JD seriously wanted to hear his answer.
"Let me begin with the girl then. When they first entered and she caught sight of the warning sign, she immediately tried to lead him back out. Obviously, she has been raised to have a great deal of respect for the rules and regulations. She may not be slavishly dedicated to following the law, but I believe it would it take something more serious than overcrowding to make her break the rules. In addition, she used very few, if any contractions, and her vocabulary choices as well as her manners were definitely more appropriate than the normal teenager might usually use in the same situation. Her hair is worn in a classical style, and her clothing choice is more modest than many her age would wear while still being more high maintenance than simplistic."
"All right," Buck said. "What about him?"
"First off, he does not have the same regard for the rules as his companion. He appeared more than willing to ignore the sign if she had allowed him to. Also, he scrutinized each of us carefully when they first entered, and then again after JD showed them his badge. Please note, he did all of this while keeping the young lady carefully to the side where he could get her out of harm's way had it proven necessary. He may or may not be a law-breaker, but he certainly has had to deal with law enforcement, and not all of it positive. He does not seem hardened enough to be an actual criminal, but it is possible that he has been marked as a trouble maker and has to deal with overzealous members of his local police force. His hairstyle and his nickname both indicate a rebellious nature while his choice of blue jeans, white t-shirt, and black leather jacket reflects a more simplistic, casual style."
Chris smirked when a couple of the others gaped at Ezra.
"And that," the leader said softly, "is why he does the undercover work."
"What I find interesting," Ezra continued as the others made sounds of agreement, "is the trust that the young woman has in her companion. Despite the badge, and JD's rather open, trustworthy appearance, she still turned to see how he reacted first."
"Trusts his natural instincts," noted Vin from his spot on the floor.
"How do you mean, brother?" Josiah asked.
"Well," replied the sharpshooter. "Some kids learn early to spot trouble. They grow up hard or in broken homes, and some kids come home to empty houses because both parents work. Either way, survival and safety depend upon spottin' that one thing that'll lead to someone gettin' hurt, or worse. Rachel knows he's got better instincts for danger."
Silence descended upon the agents as they considered the truth behind Vin's words. What they tried hard not to dwell on was why their friend would have such insight into broken homes and endangered kids. Chris glanced down, green eyes meeting blue, and gave his friend a slight nod. Vin just shrugged. He used what he had gone through to help others. It had long since stopped bothering him. That healing had taken place a few years ago when he had taken a risk and opened his heart enough to trust six of the most stubborn, annoying, and loyal men he had ever had the privilege to meet.
A few minutes later, they looked up as four more teenagers entered the room. The agents watched as the group made their way over to the original couple. The greetings and opening comments flew back and forth between the six teens.
"Hmm," Josiah hummed to himself for a moment. "An interesting dynamic in that group."
The others turned to look at their profiler. He paid them no attention, focusing his observational skills on the group across the room. Buck waited for a moment before balling up some scrap paper and tossing at the older man.
"Well, Preacher," he said, grinning at Josiah's fake annoyance. "You goin' to follow that up with anything?"
Leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest, Josiah glanced over his group.
"It's a fascinating mix of characters, at least based on appearance and general attitude. Most obvious, the group looks like it should be unbalanced, with four females and two males. However, one of the girls, the Latina one, has a more aggressive personality. While she seems quite sultry, her very aggressiveness is less seductive and more forceful. I have no doubt she can be quite the female, but she walks very close to the line between masculine and feminine behavior."
Buck's eyebrows rose in surprise as he turned to look over the teens once more. He had pegged the girl for full-out temptress.
"What else?" asked JD, tilting his head in consideration.
"Look at the way everyone reacts to Rachel and Puck," continued Josiah as he warmed to the topic. "They are the actual leaders of the group. They were the only two not to defer to the Latina girl. Puck just replied in kind while Rachel watched both of them with amused exasperation. However, La Dama…"
"Who?" JD interrupted.
"The Latina girl," answered Josiah with a smile. "It means 'lady'. As I was saying, La Dama may have been vocal and pushy, but she looked both of them over carefully to make sure they were all right. As a matter of fact, given the submissive behavior of the other three, I would say that she's second in command of their little group, with Puck being the leader."
"So," commented Vin, peering up from his spot on the floor, "Puck's alpha of their pack, Rachel's his mate, and La Dama's the beta?"
The older man nodded. Vin closed his eyes once more while the others watched as the teens joked and laughed with one another. After a few minutes, the novelty wore off and the men began shifting themselves around once more to get comfortable. Sleep had just begun to descend upon them when a cheery voice interrupted.
"Um, hi! Can you help me?"
All of them turned to see one of the girls walking up to their group. Tall, blonde and pretty, she would turn most men's heads. Her large blue eyes however were distressingly vague. The phrase "bubbly blond" did cross several minds as she sat down next to Chris. She gave them a bright smile.
"Rae says you're feds. Is that right?" she asked.
Chris nodded, but before anyone could say anything, Rachel came hurrying over.
"Brittany, what are you doing?"
The blonde turned her smile on her friend.
"Rae, you said they were feds. I'm hoping they can tell me who to talk to about Lord Tubbington."
"Oh, well, these agents do not deal in that sort of thing, Britt."
"I know," Brittany nodded. "Puck told me they go after the men who run with guns. Still, they should know who I can talk to, right?"
"Rachel?"
Both girls turned as the call crossed the room. The men watched as the girl waved to the Latina girl in reassurance. She then turned back to her friend.
"What is Lord Tubbington doing now? Is he reading your diary again?" asked Rachel.
"Yes," answered the blonde, "but I've about given up on getting him to stop doing that. This time I think he stole my X-Box."
"I really do not think we should be bothering these gentlemen with that. Or," she hurried to say as Brittany's face dropped into a pout, "at least not until we have tried everything else. Jumping straight into accusing him of something federal is a really big step."
The pout morphed into a frown as the blonde girl thought about Rachel's words. She gave a slow, reluctant nod.
"Well, I guess that's true, but what do I do first?"
Rachel frowned in thought.
"You know, I could probably ask Noah to have a talk with him. What do you think?" she asked.
Brittany nodded with enthusiasm.
"Oh, yeah, that would be good. He's always better behaved for a while after getting good talking to from Puck."
"Wonderful!" exclaimed Rachel. "I will ask Noah to go over and talk to him just as soon as we get home."
The blonde girl gave a little squeal and clapped her hands as she jumped up. She tossed her arms around Rachel, pulling her up into a big hug. The smaller brunette just let her be, patting her back and waiting her out. When Brittany finally released her, Rachel directed her back to their group.
"Go on back now, Britt," she said. "I think Santana wants to talk to you for a moment about your new dance number."
"Ok, Rae," she replied already bouncing away. "See you in a minute."
Rachel watched her leave with a fond smile before turning to the ATF team. She sighed and lifted her hands in a shrug.
"I am terribly sorry about that. Usually we watch her a little more carefully, and head her off before she can get started on strangers."
"Is she…" Ezra started to ask and then paused, obviously searching his mind for a delicate way to phrase the question burning in their minds.
Rachel just shook her head, still smiling.
"No," she answered. "Brittany is not crazy. She is just a little…simple. She has perhaps the most positive, optimistic outlook of any one of us, and she still sees the world with a child's viewpoint."
A moment of silence settled over the group as they mulled over her answer. Finally, Chris gave her a direct look.
"While I'm not entirely certain I want to know, do you mind telling us who Lord Tubbington is?" he asked.
She gave a little groan and buried her face in her hands for a moment. Looking up, she gave a fond, but slightly vexed smile.
"Lord Tubbington," she answered, "is Brittany's cat."
The men gaped at her for a long moment before JD lifted his hand slightly in question.
"I'm sorry, but her cat stole her X-box?"
Vin snorted. "I'm curious as to how her cat is readin' her diary."
Rachel shook her head even as she turned to begin walking back towards her own group.
"We really do not discuss that situation. It gets Britt all worked up."
As she sat down next to her friends, she sent a smile over to the men who still stared at her. Nathan cleared his throat.
"Suddenly I'm really glad I'm not responsible for that group."
His teammates traded nods and quick smiles. Vin chuckled under his breath every so often, and even Chris smiled a little more. Ezra closed his eyes and tilted his head back. His final remarks brought a fresh round of laughter to the group before they settled into slumber once more.
"A kleptomaniac feline that peruses private journals as a hobby…do remind me not to get one of those. Lord only knows what he might tell you…or worse, what he might tell Mother." He paused. "Actually, on second thought, perhaps I should look into acquiring one. It would certainly be a wonderful gift for her."